John Carver remains in charge, despite having a very... well, interesting week. After accusing Mike Williamson of getting sent off on purpose and agreeing with supporters that the performance at Leicester was spineless, there were rumours that the head coach had lost his job, but he has remained, despite the club contacting Steve McClaren, who turned the post down. It shows how bad that the situation has got when a manager who failed to take one of the Championship's best squads to a play off place doesn't want to touch us.
Moreover Carver suggested that he was the best coach in the league, which may have been an attempt to show that he still has faith in his own ability, but it was a very poorly advised comment to make considering he is on his way to becoming one of the worst managers in Premier League history.
Meanwhile captain Fabricio Coloccini wrote an open letter to fans, which was another poorly advised thing to do. Words only get you so far and this set of players need to show their determination on the pitch. If they want the support of St James' Park, they need to earn it through a good display against West Brom.
West Brom are heading into this match after keeping three clean sheets on the bounce with two of them coming against Liverpool and Manchester United. Tony Pulis has come in and managed to get West Brom well organised and hard to beat, which is what he is known for. However, his sides often go off the pace once they reach 40 points and that landmark has now been reached. Newcastle need to hope their opposition already have one eye on the summer, as it looks unlikely that we will manage to beat any side in this division who are still putting in 100%, especially a hard working side like the Baggies.
With Sunderland, Leicester and Hull all playing on Saturday, Newcastle could find themselves in the drop zone come 5pm and that would be a disaster as it would be difficult to see the side managing to climb out of it. After 8 straight league defeats, Newcastle must arrest the slide now. Last week's results suggest that 35 points won't be enough to stay in the league and they have the perfect fixtures to go out on a high, albeit a very hollow one. If Newcastle lose tomorrow, they will go from outsiders for relegation to the favourites, especially if results don't go their way.
Team News
Newcastle could be boosted by the returns of Rolando Aarons and Papiss Cisse to the squad, but neither will be fit enough to make the starting eleven. The unlucky Siem de Jong is missing once again, but it is seen as a minor issue which should only see him miss this weekend's match. Paul Dummett is a doubt and Newcastle could give a debut either Lubo Satka or Jamie Sterry to help ease their defensive crisis. Adam Armstrong is another doubt with an injury, and of course Daryl Janmaat and Mike Williamson will be missing through suspension.
West Brom only have one injury going into the weekend and that is number one keeper Ben Foster, although after Boaz Myhill's superb display last weekend, that won't be as big a blow to the Baggies as it normally would be. Brown Ideye is pushing for a start to add more attacking options to the Baggies as they come up against the second worst defence in the Premier League.
Manager's Views
Carver: 'West Brom are a very organised side under Tony (Pulis) and they are a huge threat from set-plays. Manchester United found it very difficult to break them down but we are the home team and we need to win the game. It's going to be very tight. I can't see there being too many goals looking at our record and at theirs, but we are determined to find a way to win on Saturday. We have had a bad run of games but I've seen enough from the lads that they want to be productive and they want to do something about it'
Pulis: 'We are not mathematically safe yet so we have a responsibility to approach the final three games in the right manner. They are three tough games, starting with Newcastle. Newcastle is a massive club with unbelievable expectations. It's a big animal that needs feeding, and if it's not being fed it growls. That is what that club is doing at the moment - it is growling. It will be tough - the next three games are do or die for them. But what we have to do is go up there, put a performance in and give it our best shot. We have to come off the pitch knowing we have given everything'
Potential Line Up
<krul>
<raylor> <colo>
<anita>
<colback> <sissoko> <jonas>
<cabella> <perez> <sammy>
I can see Remy Cabella coming back into the starting eleven after missing out last weekend. I'm hoping Dummett is fit enough to start, otherwise it could be a bloodbath if Ryan Taylor is asked to play centre back. Sammy offers energy on the left wing and he does put effort in unlike Gouffran. Playing both Colback and Jonas in the midfield gives the side some work rate against a hard working West Brom team, as they are two of the only players putting in any sort of effort, while Perez and Sissoko, as inconsistent as they are, offer some attacking threat.<raylor> <colo>
<anita><colback> <sissoko> <jonas>
<cabella> <perez> <sammy>
Verdict
I don't think anybody can be optimistic about a team on their worst run in Premier League history, however the law of average means it must come to an end at some point. West Brom have got to 40 points and it may be a case of after the Lord Mayor's show as they come to Newcastle after a brilliant resilient defensive display at Old Trafford. The first goal is key in this one, if we concede it, then it's going to be another very bad afternoon, but if we score it, we have half a chance of ending this run. I think we will get a point with an improved display, but we will still be far from safe.
